A printed circuit board (PCB) is a flat board that is adapted to hold and connect chips and other electronic components. The board is made of layers that interconnect components via copper pathways. PCBs typically connect mostly discrete components and electronic microcircuits (e.g., chips). Each chip contains from a few thousand up to hundreds of millions of transistors, which are manufactured through a semiconductor manufacturing process.
Generally, semiconductor device fabrication processes are used to manufacture transistors, the integrated circuits that are present in everyday electrical and electronic devices. The fabrication process is a multiple-step sequence of photographic and chemical processing steps during which electronic circuits are gradually formed on a substrate made of pure semiconducting material. Silicon is the most commonly used semiconductor material today, along with various compound semiconductors. In some cases, the entire manufacturing process from start to package-ready chips takes six to eight weeks and is performed in highly specialized and costly facilities referred to as fabrication plants (i.e., fabs).
In fab operations, the fixed overhead cost associated with producing chips is generally high. For example, even for simple designs, due to the depreciation of the fab and its equipment, the operation cost could be substantial. In addition, the manufacturing of PCBs requires an extensive initial cost and expensive equipment which can add to the overall cost of manufacturing electronic devices and systems.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved method and system for manufacturing electronic devices.